A KIRKLEES councillor says the authority is determined to reduce the impact of litter after calls for a clampdown on travellers.

Cabinet member for the environment Clr Ann Denham said: "Working in partnership with a host of organisations, including the police, area committees and the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, we are determined to reduce the impact of litter in Kirklees."

She said: "You could say travellers get away with fly-tipping.

"But this is a very difficult subject. We always supply bags and clean up after travellers leave a site.

"Most of the time they do bag their rubbish up.

"But if a member of the public were to dump their rubbish on playing fields they could expect a fine."

Fixed and mobile CCTV has been used by the Environmental Enforcement Team who have so far prosecuted seven people for fly-tipping.

But Clr Denham said it was unlikely CCTV would be used to stop travellers making a mess.

"We don't have many mobile units and I don't think we would use them in that way.

"Littering and fly-tipping are consistently listed as issues residents of Kirklees are most concerned about."

But Clr Martyn Bolt - who last week called for Kirklees to be tougher on travellers - wants travellers to be punished.

He said: "Why can travellers seemingly do whatever they want when others are punished?

"Leaving rubbish whether in a bag or not is littering and people have been prosecuted for that, so why do gypsies get away with it?

"Kirklees claim there is a zero tolerance policy. Well clearly not. It seems rate payers are the ones that are being punished.

"They have to pay for the rubbish to be cleared up and no-one gets punished.

"A good example was last week when travellers camped in a car park in Dewsbury.

"They had no pay and display tickets and left rubbish everywhere. They were not punished in the slightest.